Even though the large number of
Government ministers found gallivanting abroad at any given time smacks
sadly of undesirable past practices, at least some of them are on missions
with an important purpose and impressive results.

The Premier himself has been abroad on several occasions in the several
months that his United National Front Government has been in power, but
every single trip has either brought results or has been crucial in terms
of cementing vital international ties. Similarly, Ministers Milinda
Moragoda, Tilak Marapana, Tyronne Fernando and Karu Jayasuriya, among
others, have undertaken useful missions and have been received well at
their destinations - in some cases, multiple destinations.

What is most remarkable is the careful spread of international
overtures by the new government. No longer is there a dogmatic tilt either
Westward or Eastward. The death of classical non-alignment has not seen
the rise of a single, dominant power bloc, as some may have fondly hoped.
While the United States of America has become the world's sole remaining
superpower and Europe has largely linked its geo-political interests with
Washington, other regional centres of power have emerged and seem set to
gain further eminence in what is rapidly becoming a multi-polar world.

The new UNF Government's overseas overtures has been correspondingly
multi-lateral as Colombo adapted creatively to the new global environment.
In doing so, however, priorities in accordance with geo-political
realities have been observed.

Pragmatism and not dogmatism seems to guide our strategy for
international relations, at least, at present. Even the thirst for foreign
travel, especially to socially prestigious destinations, among some
politicians, does not seem to have unduly disturbed the careful balance in
our new diplomatic outreach.

While Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe correctly made Delhi his very
first destination abroad, both he and his key ministers have already
travelled to other capitals that are equally important on the new global
power map: Beijing, Tokyo, Washington, and London among others. And now,
with the state visit here by President Pervez Musharraf, leader of a
country that has militarily helped Sri Lanka much in its secessionist war,
the circle of international friendship is complete. Other close friends
too will, hopefully, receive diplomatic attention soon, such as those in
West Asia and around the Persian Gulf.

VAT

The Value Added Tax (VAT) has
arrived, at long last. Successive governments have considered and, in the
past, timorously decided to postpone its regime. The UNF Government has
taken the bull by the horns and, after an initial hesitation, has now
imposed the VAT.

The reason for the nervousness is possibility, if not probability, that
the impact of the new tax regime will add further economic and social
burdens on the poor. At present, millions of poor Sri Lankans are in such
a state as to need some form of free dole-out of food, school clothing and
books, and transport subsidies, in the form of a fuel cost subsidy. These
measures are what are known as the 'safety net' without which Sri Lankan
society may be threatened with further socio-political upheavals due to
extreme social conditions.

Previous Governments have been all too aware of this social danger and
have always opted for caution in economic and social policy even in the
face of pressure by international aid agencies for the strict observation
of funding conditions.

In imposing the VAT regime the Government must ensure that every single
measure that can be taken to soften its economic adverse impact is taken
so that an already volatile situation is not worsened.